Lincicome: Bears taking more steps forward than backward

Seats remain on the Bears bandwagon, lately a bit more littered with disciples than with skeptics while words like “first place” and “playoffs” lurk louder than the usual mumble.

To put a number on it, or a couple of numbers actually, the Bears are 6 and 7, whatever that means, and my grandson seems to know, but I figure the 6 is their present playoff seed and the 7 is after the extra point.

Here is what I do know. Life has become interesting here in the middle of the season, better certainly than the usual muddle of a season. Wherever it is, the Bears find themselves there as snug as a pit in a prune.

And it does seem as if the Bears are taking more steps forward than backwards, never mind that they have yet to beat a team with a winning record.

To put more numbers on it, the Bears are next to last in “strength of victory,” whatever that means. More 6s and 7s stuff, probably.

I am sure it means the Bears haven’t beaten anyone that matters, except that everyone matters, usually the Bears mattering less.

But it does seem as if the Bears are becoming reacquainted with respectability, measurably closer to progress than when tomorrow was turned over to Caleb Williams and Coach Geppetto, the still admired Ben Johnson.

This is where the Bears are and what the Bears will have to accept, small encouragements, never fooling anyone or even themselves that this is good enough or from here on will not be more stumble and blush.

“You do not apologize for winning,” Johnson has said, not apologizing.

All of this still is mostly a local concern, of little interest beyond most of the greater lakes and some point spreads, whether the Bears are good, bad or running up a down escalator.

The Bears can only be measured against the general mediocrity of those that are still wondering how they lost to a team they had beaten up until the Bears field goal team was lining up at the end, or a rookie tight end was wandering alone to the end zone or a soon to be fired head coach was choosing to keep points on the board.

The remaining schedule is full of teams that are not as easy nor as dumb, six of the eight games against teams with winning records.

Added encouragement, a clue of what is possible, another hint of how it could be, is the so-called “resurgence” of Williams, assuming that there ever was a “surgence.”

Those times, with Williams off the leash, make the usual cautious plodding of the Bears offense all the more moving. If Williams can still resemble a shopper choosing fruit, he is on pace to get 4,000 yards, heretofore ungettable.

Whatever the questions, the Bears have had answers of late, becoming “clutch” instead of “crutch,” third in total offense in the league.

The Bears have become exactly what they want to be, a team of flash and risk, full of tricks and quirks, a pass first, run to show you haven’t forgotten how team, a team whose offense can rescue its defense and a team that must win without knowing exactly how to do it.

These are not the ideal conditions for a young quarterback when so much depends on how he plays.

It cannot be expected that Williams will find touchdowns every fourth quarter to come from behind, or that Rome Odunze will be racing beyond cornerbacks who now must certainly be aware that he can do it, that DJ Moore can take on double teams and triple teams and still catch his share of passes, or that the offensive line can consistently keep Williams free enough to do more than he should need to.

But all of this must happen for the Bears to win, making each week not so much a plan as potluck.

In the end the Bears may show up at the playoff party wearing the wrong clothes, not knowing how to use the right fork and be seated by the kitchen.

“We’re a 6-3 team looking to get to 7-3,” Johnson said.

So that’s what that means, 6’s and 7’s. I get it, I guess.